The present invention relates to safety walkers, of the type used by persons who have difficulty walking in either their homes or a patient care facility.
Although safety walkers are manufactured with stability and ease of use as paramount considerations, two main reasons exist for why users can destabilize the walker, with the potential for falling or otherwise injuring themselves. One reason is that during use, especially in a patient care facility, the user becomes disoriented, experiences weakness in the arms or legs, becomes distracted, etc. Another reason that arises in both the patient care facilities and in a home context is the user becoming very familiar with the walker and consequently becoming less careful and cautious during use.
Known walkers provide instability feedback to the user, and in the event of an emergency situation, automatically notify a remote caretaker that an emergency, such as a fall, has occurred. The prior efforts typically produce an alarm or the like when the position or orientation of the walker is in a potentially dangerous condition, such as tilting, or when the user is likely to be in a dangerous condition, such as having fallen.
Examples for alarms for walkers include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,853,219; 5,477,211; 8,608,183. Sensors, transmitters, and signal processing components associated with alarm systems suitable for walkers and wheel chairs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,963,286; 8,154,416; and 8,203,454. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated herein, to the extent as may be necessary to provide details on the operations of such components. In addition, Posey Products, LLC of Arcadia, Calif., is a supplier of alarm sensors and accessories used in the field of patient safety.